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5500 Preparer's Manual for 2012 Plan Years
The premier resource in the field of Form 5500 preparation, 5500 Preparer's Manual will help you handle the required annual Form 5500 filings for both pension benefits and welfare benefit plans.
from Spencer’s Benefits Reports: The public does not agree on any single approach to solving health insurance system problems, a national survey gauging American attitudes about health insurance shows. Nevertheless, equal premiums regardless of health status or age; a choice of health care plans; and coverage for routine health care services at no additional cost are U.S. consumers’ preferences for elements of health care reform, according to the survey report, Exploring the Public’s Views on the Health Care System: A National Survey on the Issues and Options.
Consumers also expressed some support for holding individuals responsible for their health-related behaviors, especially smoking. The survey was conducted by NORC, a national organization for research at the University of Chicago. The report, published in the November 14 online issue of the journal Health Affairs, was based on a telephone survey conducted with 1,517 adult respondents nationwide in July 2006. Responses from California residents, who comprise 12% of the population, were analyzed separately (see below).
“Although our results offer a useful national perspective, they cannot be used to predict the views of residents of any particular state” because health care reform increasingly has been taking place at the state level and state approaches differ, the researchers explained. “This reinforces the view that forging consensus for specific policy options is likely to be difficult. The ambiguity of the public’s attitudes in key areas suggests that delivering acceptable reform is still an elusive goal.”
Slightly more than half of the respondents (52%) thought that obtaining basic health insurance should be mandatory for all, while the remaining 48% thought that health insurance should be voluntary. Most likely to believe in mandatory health insurance were individuals ages 55 through 64 (64%); those with incomes between $50,000 and $75,000 (59%); and those with a post-college education (54%). Least likely to support mandatory health insurance were those ages 18 through 34 years (47%); those with annual earnings of less than than $25,000 (45%); and the uninsured (24%).
In response to the question of “How well is the current health insurance system working?” the overwhelming majority of respondents (80%) indicated that the system has many problems and needs to be improved. Individuals ages 35 through 64 were most likely to agree with that view (an average of nearly 83%), while the youngest (ages 18 through 34) and oldest (age 65 and older) groups were much less likely to agree (73% of each group). Also less likely to agree that the current system needs improvement are individuals with annual incomes of less than $25,000 (72%), Hispanics (70%, compared with 80% of whites); the uninsured (74%), and individuals with at most a high school education (73%).
The great majority (87%) of the respondents also favored equal premiums for all insureds regardless of health status or age. The groups most likely to favor this approach were those ages 55 and older (91%); those with lower incomes (91%); those on Medicaid (95%); and the least educated (90%). However, the differences in support for this approach were not significant among the different demographic groups.
With respect to holding individuals responsible for risky health behaviors, most would require individuals to pay a higher health insurance premium when they smoke (60% of respondents) and, to a much lesser extent, when they are obese (29%). In contrast, few (12%) think that individuals should pay a higher premium if they have a family history of heart disease or cancer or genetic conditions over which they are perceived to have little control.
With respect to paying for health insurance, the great majority (92%) of the respondents agreed that employees should contribute to the cost of their health insurance, and they also wanted a choice among different plan designs. Most (74%) also believed that the government should subsidize employer-based health insurance to keep the benefit affordable for employers and employees. A much smaller proportion of respondents ages 65 and older (60%) agreed with this view than respondents ages 18 through 44 (80%). Eighty-eight percent of the respondents supported health coverage expansion to more working individuals and families by working with employers, which seems to be contradicted by the 61% who said that the government should provide universal coverage. Even more dichotomies arose when 55% of respondents indicated that the government should pay for coverage only for low-income, unemployed, and uninsurable individuals. In addition, less than half (42%) agree that individuals should pay more of the costs of routine care and that insurance should be for catastrophic events
The majority of respondents (64%) believe that the highest priority when expanding health care coverage should be to not increase costs for individuals and families, and 53% indicated that the government should be responsible for controlling rising costs by establishing price limits.
California respondents’ opinions differed from those of non-Californians, the study noted. The greatest difference was evident in the view that obese individuals should pay higher premiums: 43% of Californians agreed, compared with 28% of non-Californians. Californians also were less likely to support mandatory health insurance (42% versus 52%), but more likely to support limiting government’s payments for health insurance to the low-income, unemployed, or uninsurable population (67% versus 54% for non-Californians).
For more information on this and related topics, consult the CCH Pension Plan Guide, CCH Employee Benefits Management, and Spencer's Benefits Reports.
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